This Year's Turkey Lessons

Apparently we're supposed to go straight to Christmas even before we've finished washing all the turkey plates, but I'm still digesting thoughts from the holiday barely past.

One is that the best guests bring Tupperware. I hoard takeout and delivery and kittybag containers all year to send home leftovers, but one friend announced she had come prepared. Everyone should do it, given that I read today how way too much of the biggest dinner of the year just winds up in the trash.

Second is a trick I learned from the friend who stepped up to the stove as I was about to abandon the pan drippings that refused to bind with slurry in the roaster on the stovetop. She said she'd worked in a five-star restaurant and seen the chefs use a slice of bread to soak up grease. I only had five-grain, but it did indeed get us closer to gravy.

And third is that global warming is now undeniable. We spent some time talking about how Thanksgiving used to be a snow day, how the Macy's parade route was always lined with shivering gawkers. Yesterday was close to balmy. But the truest sign is that most friends brought red wine and then wanted to drink white. Turkey swings either way, but the white stuff is definitely better suited to warmer weather. Sayonara, zinfandel.

As odd as it sounds, I try to bring a couple of large Ziploc bags to take the turkey carcass home to make stock - most of the hosts just want to throw it away after cutting off the meat. After boiling the bones, I'm able to take probably an additional 3-4 cups of meat off the carcass for soup or casserole.